The iconic Porzer

The iconic Porzer Bernhard Marmsoler, known locally as “Porzer,” runs an intriguing newsagent & souvenir emporium in Siusi allo Sciliar. Portrait of a lone wolf.

Nothing can unsettle an institution.

A A white t-shirt hangs in full view on the wall, emblazoned with a likeness of the shopkeeper and an accompanying message: “The last perfect man.” A gift from friends, which Bernhard accepted with good-humoured grace. Now nearing seventy years old, the shopkeeper always wears a white shirt and jacket under the blue apron so ubiquitous in these parts.

When chatting with his customers, Bernhard is always happy to let his life’s experiences flow into the conversation. In addition to the latest daily papers and magazines, here at “By Porzer”, as he renamed his shop after taking part in an English course, you can buy everything you could ever

24 ALPE | Winter

need for a holiday in the mountains or a souvenir of your stay: from whistling marmots lining the entrance doors, to myriad hats ranging from straw boaters to mountaineering headwear and furry bonnets, hut socks, postcards and hiking maps.

A vast array. So far, so good. It’s just hard to believe that the space that Bernhard rents in the rectory is capable of holding the immense array of goods that he’s accumulated over the course of the years. “I have to do everything on my own,” he says, in defence of his motley collection. He hasn’t changed the display in his three shop windows for years, although he did it well at the time, »

Text: Rosa Maria Erlacher Photo: Helmuth Rier

Winter | ALPE 25

with beautiful candles, Venetian snow globes, miniature Alpine houses and porcelain curios.

“But nobody ever asks for them,” he says in bewilderment; even Bernhard himself seems oblivious to his pretty souvenirs, not to mention the unappealing prospect of scrambling through piles of boxes and old calendars to get to them. In the cellar, he also stocks many and varied “relics” that are no longer in demand today: pewter plates, pewter jugs and decorative beer tankards.

A day in the life of Porzer is hard work. Every day at the crack of dawn – Sundays no exception – he comes to the shop to collect the daily papers, after which he sets up all his stands filled with postcards, hiking maps, copious hats and bonnets and draped with hiking poles, scarves, hut socks and traditional Tyrolean aprons. Then it’s time for the countless boxes spilling over with content unknown, and always, winter and summer alike, a clothes rack with faded jackets in every hue.

A long day’s work. At seven o’clock, the first customers arrive to pick up their morning papers. At some point in the morning, Porzer closes the shop and goes to a nearby bar for breakfast – the day is long, and his break is well-earned. His regular customers all know the routine and get on with other things in the meantime. When Bernhard is in good form, he entertains customers with his irreverent wit. He’s a good-hearted man who has no fear of speaking his mind, and knows how to put a smile on people’s faces.

The man has humour, that’s for sure. When the local bank was looking for the face of their new campaign a while back, he offered them his portrait. Who else, aside from the priest, was the most famous man in the village? Nevertheless, Porzer has had anything but an easy life. After his apprenticeship and a few years of work in a food shop, he opened a flower shop in the rectory together with his brother. His brother sold flowers and funeral wreaths, and Bernhard sold newspapers, books and souvenirs. They ran a good trade, and soon afterwards the young Bernhard got mar-

26 ALPE | Winter

ried and decided to carry on the business - minus the flowers - with his wife. Just one year later, she died of a terminal illness. Bernhard remarried and had a child with his second wife, who also passed away a few years later, leaving him alone with the child. Paying the mortgage on his apartment, bringing up a child as a single father and running a business pushed him to breaking point, he says. An acquaintance used to help out in the shop from time to time, but now that his son has grown up and works a good job, Porzer is back to doing everything single-handedly. The only thing he complains about is the housework, which he usually does “half-heartedly” on a Sunday afternoon.

A sociable man. Every day before he closes for lunch, Bernhard puts all his stands and boxes back inside, back out again on his return, and back in once more in the evening. So much effort! On top of that, there’s all the behind-the-scenes work of football pools, lottery tickets and payment services that are online these days, like top-ups for mobile phones, public utility bills and so on and so forth. That’s why Porzer is rarely to be seen behind the counter: He‘s always out the back. On a quiet day, he sits out in the sun on a chair outside the shop or a village bench with a view of the shop, and enjoys a chat with passers-by.

There’s no end to the discoveries that can be made in Bernhard Marmsoler’s shop, from the valuable to the useful, the bizarre and any number of rarities.

Porzer knows everything that’s going on, and speaking to him about anything and everything under the sun is an absolute joy. With all his hard work, however, his hobbies have fallen somewhat by the wayside. At one time Bernhard was a keen beekeeper, and took great care of his beloved bees until a bee plague wiped them out. Nowadays his great passion is watching sports on TV, with football being his action of choice. All the village football fans see him as somewhat of an authority on the subject, and join him for lengthy discussions on the ins and outs of the game. He is also more au-fait than most with the winter sports of downhill skiing and biathlon. Porzer is an icon, an institution, and life in Siusi allo Sciliar would be unimaginable without him. «

Winter | ALPE 27